JAKIM TO ISSUE GUIDELINES ON 1MALAYSIA

KUALA LUMPUR, May 6 (Bernama) -- The Islamic Development Department of
Malaysia (Jakim) will issue a set of guidelines on 1Malaysia to avoid wrong
interpretation or misperception of the concept among the people.

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, Maj Gen (Rtd) Jamil Khir
Baharom, said the guidelines would also be useful for national leaders so that
when they addressed the people on the subject, the latter would be able to
understand better.

He said at the moment the people had yet to fully understand 1Malaysia as
the concept and its objectives had been twisted by certain quarters with vested
interest.

"Before the polemic on the concept gets worse, we need to have guidelines to
better explain the concept in the interest of the nation, race and religion," he
said after opening a roundtable conference on the 1Malaysia concept at the
multipurpose hall of the Federal Territory Mosque, here, Tuesday.

Jamil Khir said the guidelines would be drawn up based on the resolutions
made at the end of the roundtable conference.


He said the guidelines would be contained in a booklet to be distributed
nationwide so that the people would understand and appreciate the aspirations of
the new national leadership.

"The media can also play a role by creating public awareness on the
resolutions and guidelines.

"We want the concept, philosophy and direction of 1Malaysia, introduced by
Prime Minister Najib Razak, to be understood and applied by all
levels of society," he added.

The one-day conference was also attended by Deputy Minister in the Prime
Minister's Department Dr Mashitah Ibrahim, Jakim director-general
Wan Mohamad Sheikh Abdul Aziz and religious adviser to the prime minister
Dr Abdullah Md Zin.

-- BERNAMA